Exposed
by Soss
Summary: Another undercover gone awry? Perhaps. What happens when a gentleman's club plays into the team's case load? Inevitable Kibbs
1. Chapter One

_A/N:_ Well, well, well.. summer's finally here and look who has nothing to do :) This is going to be a little bit of a more challenging story for me, so I hope everyone can bear with... Chapters may not pop up so quickly, but I'm going to do my best.

Just my own little quick disclaimer, "I don't own nothin'."

Hope everyone enjoys :)

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"What... in the _hell_ are you doing, Dinozzo."

Kate had looked up briefly from the agonizing pile of files and paperwork that haphazardly littered her desk, and, uncharacteristically, some of her floor. Tony was leaning back in his chair -just enough to escape the risk of falling ass backwards- and was desperately trying to balance a pen, upright on his nose. Watching as it tumbled and fell to the floor, he sighed in frustration. "Probie told me that this kid, on the 4th floor? Balanced a pencil, on his nose... for **two minutes**," he said, holding up two fingers with emphatic amazement. Tony shrugged and picked up his pen from the floor, "If he could do it... someone as skillful and cunning as myself, well.. c'mon..." he scoffed as he leaned his head back and resumed his mission with scary concentration.

Kate blinked. "What are you, 10..? How many files do you have left...?"

"Oh, I dunno..." he held the pen lightly to his nose, mumbling, "two or three."

Kate leaned slightly up from her chair, peering over at her partner's desk to see more paperwork than hers and McGee's combined. "Oh Tony, c'mon! Are you kidding me?"

"Who's kidding what?" Gibbs strode into the bullpen, appearing out of nowhere in particular. Tony fell -ass backwards- out of his chair and hit the floor—not knowing whether to get up or lay still and play dead, he took too long in making that decision. Gibbs stared down at him with raised eyebrows that articulated plenty, but he chose to question him anyway.

"There a _problem_, Dinozzo?" Tony just shook his head, remaining with his back to the floor. "_Then get up_...!"

The Agent scrambled to his feet faster than he fell.

Kate still stood at her desk with her head bowed, one hand on the table top and the other shielding her eyes and her smile from her team, primarily from Gibbs. She desperately performed an internal search for some sort of composure. _Don't laugh. Don't look up. Don't laugh. Don't. Laugh._ Through her secret mantra, Kate didn't notice Gibbs coming up beside her until she felt his breath on her cheek. "Is there a problem, Agent Todd..?" He whispered by her ear, just loud enough for Kate to hear him correctly. She gave him a shake of the head and shook away her smile, turning to look him in the face. "No. No problem." He lingered next to her for a short-lived eternity, his eyes seeming to challenge every inch of her. She didn't bite. The longer she holds out from blinking first, the longer he'd stay. She loves the smell of him.

He turned on his heel and strode towards his desk. "Good.. Now that we have that under control," he shot a look at Tony before continuing, "There's a double homicide down at Archibald's, I need you to---"

"Gas the truck." Piped Tony.

"Grab the gear." McGee chimed.

Gibbs looked at his agents, his eyes stopping with Kate. "--- not get ahead of ourselves. I need you to start vetting and getting all the information you can about the employees, the system..."

"We're not getting the scene?" Tony questioned, sitting back down in his chair.

Gibbs paused, "DC Homicide is taking care of it."

Whenever they didn't have access to a crime scene, it meant one of two things; they didn't have the clearance, or… "When are we going under..?" Kate asked as she walked to the middle of the bullpen with her arms folded across her chest. They hadn't gone undercover in awhile. Kate supposed they were due.

Gibbs walked over and sent some images up on the plasma. "48 hours. We'll have more hard information in the morning. This is what's been sent to us so far." He nodded up to the screen and then turned to face them. "Lieutenant Harcourt and a Miss Benassi were found this morning, single gunshot wounds. I've sent Ducky down… he should be back with more for us." The three agents looked over the plasma carefully as Gibbs walked back to his desk. "Until then, get everything you can find about personnel histories and…" he paused again, getting lost in a thought, "and operations."

The agents nodded and prepared for the usual vetting process. McGee frowned a little, sitting back in his chair. "Boss.. Archibald's, isn't... isn't that a, uh." He fumbled in his confusion. "... _Gentleman's_ club..?" Tony's head snapped up.

"A strip club?" Tony quickly swiveled to look from McGee to Gibbs, "We're going under in a strip club?"

As Tony was questioning what lottery he had just won, Kate did some simple logic and obvious arithmetic. Her eyes shot up, looking to Gibbs. Her mouth hung open slightly, in an almost invisible question meant just for him.

Gibbs let out a grunt. "I need coffee." He strode out of the bullpen and down the hall just as quickly as when he'd arrived.


	2. Chapter Two

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Kate sat dumbfounded at her desk, continuing to stare at the closed elevator doors that marked Gibbs' exit. _No way_, she thought as her wheels continued to turn. _There is no way... right? _

She looked down to her desk, silently reworking and rerunning everything through her head. She quietly raised her eyes to her teammates-- they were either too busy vetting the situation to bother with the obvious, or they hadn't made the connection that she had. Yet. Kate let out a sigh before joining in on the pre-investigation. _This is going to be **very **interesting_.

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Gibbs let out the breath he had been holding once the elevator doors slid shut behind him. _This… is going to be very interesting_. With closed eyes he tried to rub the hardened tension from his face; preoccupied, he hadn't noticed the second body that stood beside him.

"Tough day, Agent Gibbs?" Director Morrow stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at the numbers going by with each floor they passed. Gibbs easily masked the expression of surprise that flashed across his face before falling back into a gruff demeanor.

"Just preparing for the Harcourt case you placed in our laps." Gibbs crossed his arms across his chest and joined in watching the climbing numbers of the elevator—setting aside the fact he had wanted the elevatordown. He swallowed and mulled over the situation before jumping into a conversation he knew he wouldn't win. "There has to be another way of doing this Tom." Gibbs pulled his eyes away from the illuminated numbers in order to look at him. "It doesn't _sit well…_ to expose one of my best agents… not like this." Gibbs shook his head, stripping every emotion from his voice except for the staunch seriousness and concern for his team.

Morrow nodded slowly, "I appreciate your opinion Jethro… but I'm not asking you to be comfortable with the situation." The director turned his head slightly to be able to see the agent's face. "We need an agent _in_ the scene, Gibbs. And Agent Todd fits. I gave this case to your team because I knew you could handle it… Don't make me say I was wrong, Jethro," he said lightly as the elevator doors opened. Morrow nodded at Gibbs and walked over the threshold, then turned back to face him as the doors began to close, "Don't let your heroism cloud your better judgment."

Left alone again, Gibbs leaned back against the cold metal of the elevator wall as it began its steady descent. Inhaling deeply, he held his breath as he thought and composed this 'better judgment' of his. He looked down to his shoes, tracing invisible patterns on the floor in his mind. The elevator bell dinged as he walked out into the parking garage, on his way to the coffee shop. He grumbled and scoffed as he shoved his hands into the depths of his pockets, "Better judgment…"

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Tony stood at the plasma going over the crime scene photos, going through multiple scenarios of the Lieutenant's murder, start to finish.

"So we have the Lieutenant," Tony pondered as he played randomly with a rubber band, "with a single gunshot wound to the back… a strip—" Tony noticed Kate's hard stare and pivoted back to the screen, "an exotic _dancer_, with a bullet to the chest." He paused, "Couldn't have been a suicide/homicide."

"A fight?" McGee offered.

"Too accurate… the odds of making those kinds of shots in just a scuffle..." Kate said shaking her head, leaning against the front of the desk. "But they had to have been alone in the club… why..?"

Gibbs came off the elevator with cups of coffee in each hand, walking into the bullpen. "You can stop the brainstorming. I know it can be painful…" he quipped, gazing over at Tony.

"Boss… that hurts." Tony put a hand to his chest.

Gibbs gave him a satisfied nod, "You'll live."

"Why are we stopping?" McGee inquired slowly.

"Because this goes farther and deeper than anything you might've come up with McGee. I thought I'd save us all a little time." Gibbs nodded to Tony, "I sent you a file, put it up on the screen."

Tony nodded as he let the rubber band fly from his fingers, hitting McGee square in the chest, and _then_ loaded Gibbs' files.

Gibbs frowned with mild amusement before jumping in. "Our Lieutenant, it would seem, was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He nodded as various Columbian profiles and maps came up on the screen. "There's a drug ring, mostly trafficking, supposedly in the basement of Archibalds. There are a few names, aliases, and theoretical drop off marks… but nothing that we can solidly hold onto."

"Do they know that we know?" Kate asked, looking over the profiles.

Gibbs' mouth perked a little as he tilted his head slightly. "Not yet. So far DC police have it publicly cornered as a theft and accidental homicide."

"So how is this going to happen?" Tony questioned, looking to Gibbs.

"Friday, 21:00 hours. We get this together in 2 days." He looked over to Tony and McGee, "Back to work. Use all the new information and set up some investigation." He began to walk over to Kate's desk, back towards the elevator, "I want all you got when I get back. I don't want **any** holes." The two agents went back to their desks and continued on.

Gibbs handed one of the coffees still in his hand to Kate. He looked to her and motioned for her to follow, "Come with me."

Kate was one step behind him as Gibbs stopped, letting her step into the elevator before him. His hand brushed against the small of her back, lingering before he slowly drew out of her personal space. The doors closed and the lift began to move- Gibbs gently pressed the emergency, bringing the elevator to a shuddering halt.

"You're going under." Gibbs said abruptly.

Kate cocked her head slightly, "Yeah... We're all going undercover…" She knew what he was implying, but wanted to hear it from him directly— she wanted to make sure that she hadn't unnecessarily jumped to any radical conclusions.

Gibbs nodded, "Theoretically." He took a long drink from his cup before dropping his hand to his side. He leaned his back against the elevator wall and crossed his legs at his ankles, examining her discreetly. "You need to get in with the girls working there. One of them is an integral part of this operation."

Kate swallowed and nodded, crossing her arms in front of her, careful not to spill her coffee, "How integral?"

"Well, it's a lead we can't ignore." His jaw tightened as he looked to her eyes and saw all the worry she tried to hide and the scenarios flashing across her face. Instinctively biting back the concern that was about to stumble fromhis mouth, he said gruffly, "I'm not asking you to do this. I'm telling you what needs to be done."

Her mouth opened slightly to reply, but nothing came out. Closing her mouth quickly, her lips formed a firm line. She couldn't decide whether she was more angry or more hurt by the unnecessary order, but being that she was with Gibbs, she opted for anger.

"I am _well_ aware that my job isn't optional. Thank you though, for so attentively reminding me of the fact." Kate sparked at him, biting out the words softly, but with enough force that made Gibbs inwardly cringe. She slammed at the emergency, throwing the elevator back into motion, having it stop at the nearest floor. Kate gently thrust the coffee he gave her, back into his free hand. "I'll be your stripper," she spit out heatedly and shook her head, eyes widened with spontaneous contempt, "but I'm not doing it for you, _Agent Gibbs_." She strode off the elevator and blindlyheaded down a random hallway as Gibbs called after her:

"_That's **Special** Agent Gibbs to you.._!" He groaned as the elevator doors shut once again, downing the rest of his coffee and immediately starting on Kate's cup. He jabbed at the elevator buttons that would bring him back to the bullpen. He grumbled to no one, "Whata _disaster_."

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	3. Chapter Three

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Once Kate rounded another corner, she stopped in the middle of the hall. She came out of her blind craze and realized she was well out of view of the elevator, and that she had no _clue_ as to where she was. She looked up and down the hallway. _Lost in my own building,_ she thought to herself, _Wonderful_.

Kate found a door leading to the stairwell and jogged down the six flights of steps, taking them nearly two at a time. "_Bastard_…" she growled repeatedly, replaying and mimicking her boss' cool and callused voice in her head. She reached Abby's lab, worked up and out of breath, grumbling and exasperated. She exclaimed loudly to the lab rat's back:

"He just… he just makes me _so mad_..!" Kate ran her hands through her hair and sighed out her anger in a long breath. She hated Gibbs' innate ability to rattle her cage, and she doubted the fact that he even knew. She leaned against the lab counter, hanging her head down with her chin to her chest. Kate's hands flexed over the cool, black surface of the countertop as she looked over to her friend.

Abby turned to her with a silly grin, her pigtails swaying and a hand on her hip. "So… what's your name?"

Kate looked at her puzzled, turning to face her and crossing her arms. Her mouth formed a small 'O' as she squinted her eyes in confusion and repeated Abby's question. "What's my _name_?"

"Yeah..! By 'he', I assume you mean Gibbs, and by _Gibbs_ I'm sure he said something insensitive about the new case you have to work which he just told McGee and Tony about, that McGee just called and— was this a secret? 'Cos if it was, I really don't know anything and I just—"

Kate held up her hand to stop Abby's tirade.

"Can I do this, Abs?" Kate said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean… no protection, no weapon…"

Abby nodded, "No clothes…" Kate shot her a little look that quickly disappeared into a small smile as she saw her friend grinning.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Kate inquired. Abby just smiled and held up her index finger, motioning for Kate to stay put. She bounced away from her and into her office, returning with a small box.

Kate looked at the item that Abby held in front of her and then back to her face. "What's this?"

Abby smiled widely and pushed what Kate found to be a small box-set of DVDs into her hands. Kate examined what Abby had given her— Strippercize work-out tapes. Her eyebrows raised as her mouth fell slightly open, "… Why do you even _have_ these…" She turned them over in her hands and looked up to Abby. With a single glance they both fell into an immediate fit of giggles and even a few snorts of laughter, and to Kate, it felt good to be able to laugh. She smiled and lifted the DVDs in her hands, motioning to them with a nod, "Thanks, Abs."

Abby just grinned and cocked her head to the side. "So, what's your _name_, Kate?"

Kate shook her head in confusion and chuckled, "What—"

"Your stripper name, Kate! You know, like Candy, Sugar, Cherry, Bambi…" Abby turned from her computer to face Kate, "I'd stay away from food or animal names though. So played… be original!" She grinned wildly and walked over to grab another Caf-pow.

Kate chuckled and nodded her head, "I'll stay away from anything edible or furry." She shook her head and lifted the DVDs again, "Seriously though, Abs, **why** do you have these?"

"They were just, you know, sitting here…"

Kate smiled and mocked, "Just, you know, a coincidence, hunh?"

Abby laughed and stopped, shaking her head and putting on a very stern face and a low voice, "There are no coincidences, Kate.. you know there is no such thing as coincidence." She laughed at herself for what she felt was a decently dead-on impersonation of their somber and fearless leader. She noticed Kate hadn't joined in on her amusement. "Kate.. you always laugh at my Gibbs voice… I mean, unless—" Kate's lips were firmly pressed together as she periodically peered over Abby's shoulder. The Tech turned around, only to be face to chest with the Bossman himself.

"Hi Gibbs." Abby smiled crookedly with a tiny hint of embarrassment. But not much.

Gibbs nodded, "Abs." His eyebrow was raised in question, but with a small smile in his eyes. He looked passed Abby to Kate, who suddenly found a profound interest in the tiled floor beneath her feet. "Abby, can I speak to Kate, please."

"Sure Bossman," Abby nodded and rolled on the balls of her feet for a minute before she noticed Gibbs giving her the eye. "Oh... right. Speak to Kate. I'm gonna go see a guy about a Caf-pow." She nodded and patted Gibbs' arm before giving Kate a double thumbs up and evacuated to the safety of the elevator.

Once the doors shut behind her, the tension rose between the two remaining occupants, filling the lab as quickly as Abby had left. Kate suddenly felt an overwhelming embarrassment that she couldn't shake long enough to be able to even look Gibbs in the face— something he quickly sensed, as he took a few steps closer.

"I approached you… incorrectly, before…" Gibbs said slowly. "You have to understand, I'm… I'm in a tough position here." He closed his eyes and shook his head, already anticipating Kate's negative reaction. "_We_… are in a tough position. It's _us_ going in there, Kate. You're not going to be alone. Nothing's going to happen. You understand?"

Kate looked to him, mentally marking and following the lines around the corners of his eyes, and blindly stepping towards him. Her face softened as she saw the genuine worry buried deep behind his eyes and the concern that lingered around the edges of his mouth. She nodded her acknowledgement. She saw the apology that stared back at her. Smiling at his ability to apologize without having to say so, she carefully closed the distance between them and stood a mere foot away. "Please tell me it's not going to be Dinozzo there watching my back… is it Gibbs?" She asked with a small grin.

The corner of his mouth turned up as he tilted his head, the smile in his eyes widened. "You think I'd let _Dinozzo_ loose in a strip club?" Kate chuckled and bowed her head, hiding her fierce grin. Gibbs touched the DVDs still in her hands, "What's this?"

Kate blanked for a second before responding. "Research." He tilted his head far enough to read the title and furrowed his brow before coming to a realization. Gibbs chuckled and rubbed his fingertips against the bridge of his nose.

"Abby?" he inquired.

"Yep." Kate smiled. It was nice to see her smile. Gibbs always liked to ruffle her feathers now and again, but he never had any conscious aim of making her angry. Seeing her smile was much more rewarding.

Gibbs nodded and cocked his head slightly, feeling the need to be able to examine her expression. He nodded again slowly, waiting for her acknowledgement. "I have you on this.." Kate's eyes were downcast, but as he brought his warm and callused hand up to cup her cheek, she quickly brought her eyes up to meet his. He repeated himself softly, but pointedly, "I have you on this, Katie."

Kate swallowed and gave him a short nod, unable to do much more than move her head as she felt the soothing heat in his hand radiate. She couldn't look away from him, but her eyes soon fluttered as she cast her gaze downwards. Looking at Gibbs could be like staring at the sun.

He gently patted her cheek, letting his hand fall to her shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Go. Do your research." He said, tongue-in-cheek. She could feel him smiling, but looked up to see his back facing her as he strode to the elevator. Gibbs walked into the lift and turned around, giving her a nod with a small half grin as the doors slid shut.

Kate exhaled deeply and absentmindedly touched her cheek. She turned over the work-out DVDs in her hands before looking back to the still-closed elevator doors. "Research…" Kate scoffed and shook her head. She grabbed her coat and headed for the gym, hoping not a soul would be there. "Who _does_ this..?" she hissed to herself as she left the lab.

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	4. Chapter Four

_My apologies this took so long! It was just one of those chapters where you don't know where to start. Hope everyone enjoys-- thanks for reading :) The next few chapters should be difficult, but good :)_

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Abby anxiously bounced in the elevator as she waited for the doors to open, nervously running her fingers along the edge of the manila folder she held in her hands. Once the elevator stopped, she scrambled into the bullpen, looking around and finding only Gibbs; his head bowed, a single hand to his forehead, alone at his desk. 

"Gibbs! **Gibbs**, you didn't answer your phone..! I was trying to call you from the lab but you didn't pick up…" Abby stood in front of his desk, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I was on the phone, Abby." He looked up to her, glancing over the rims of his reading glasses and then back down to the papers skewed over his desk. "What's that." Gibbs asked, motioning to her folder with his hand. She placed it down in front of him.

"I was running DNA found at the scene, you know, just checking everything out and making sure," she lowered her voice, mimicking Gibbs, "Always be prepared." Gibbs looked down and smiled slightly, opening the folder as she continued to speak, "Anyway, the DNA of Lieutenant Harcourt matched what was on file. But when I ran a check for a Laura Benassi… there's no record Gibbs."

He looked up to her, "So, she doesn't have a record. That doesn't mean…"

Abby flipped a couple sheets of paper in the folder before folding her arms tight across her chest. "No… but someone _else_ comes up, Gibbs." His eyebrows rose slightly, looking from her and back down to his desk. His eyes scanned Abby's findings, a frown slowly spreading across his face. He shut the folder, grabbing it from his desk and leapt swiftly from his chair, rounding his desk and heading towards the stairs.

"Where's Kate." Gibbs called gruffly over his shoulder to Abby.

"I, uh, the gym… I think." Abby turned to him, her voice trailed.

Gibbs stopped briefly on the stairs, on his way to the director's office, looking to Abby with raised eyebrows and slightly widened eyes. "_Find_ her…" he said incredulously. As his tech stood there for one second too many, he added with a bark, "Now!"

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Gibbs stood at the back of the gym, leaning against the concrete wall as he watched his agent pummel a punching bag to pieces. Abby informed Gibbs that Kate was finished with her 'research,' and had moved on to a regular work-out. He stood there quietly, watching her fighting form and graceful movements as she boxed her invisible adversary.

He pushed off from the wall and walked silently over to Kate's area. Gibbs had most, or at least _more_ of the information they needed now, but he didn't enjoy the unease that had settled itself deep in the recesses of his almighty gut. Kate was still unaware of Gibbs' presence, 3 feet away. She continued fighting, zoned out to his attempts of getting her attention. As Kate wound up for a punch, he clasped his hand around her wrist and immediately stopped the momentum of her boxer's thrust. He didn't mean to startle her— as much as he did.

Kate was still in her combat mode as she reeled around; dipping low as she swung her leg swiftly around, making direct contact with the back of Gibbs' knees. She brought him down, his back against the mat as she landed on top of him. Kate straddled his stomach, threateningly holding the heel of her hand to the hollow of his throat. Her chest heaved as Gibbs blinked slowly.

"That was fun." He grumbled, looking to the ceiling. He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Let's not do it again."

Kate stared down at him, slightly stunned and out of breath from the sudden rush of unexpected adrenaline. "What were you doing?" She exhaled.

"I was calling you. You didn't turn around. I would have thrown something at you instead, had I known you were goin' to go combat soldier on me." His eyes sparked and his jaw tightened as he finally realized she was sitting on top of him. The realization seemed to travel simultaneously when Kate swung her leg over, removing herself and kneeled next to him.

"Oh.." she nodded and looked down to the mat. "Sorr---" she cleared her throat and shook her head before looking to him as he sat up, "What did you want me for?"

"There's been a development." He remained seated on the floor next to her. He found himself more at ease in their positions— or he didn't want to admit that he needed to catch his breath after Kate's impromptu assault. Gibbs glanced up and found himself in an eye-lock with her, but he continued, "The woman that was found with Harcourt… she didn't work there, so much as she was an undercover cop. DEA." He searched her face for a reaction. Noticing the nano-second flash of fear and anxiety before her features grew stern and contemplative, she broke their eye contact for a brief few seconds. Kate's eyes fluttered back to find him watching her closely, and she saw the concern rushing back into his eyes.

"How do we do this," She asked, more as a statement than a question.

Gibbs placed his hands on his knees as he pushed himself up, standing above her. He held out his hand to her, to help her to her feet. "Very carefully," he told her calmly. Kate looked up to him and nodded, taking his offered hand. In a second she stood in front of him, their hands still holding on to one another. Kate stared at their joined hands in a quiet fascination before quickly looking up to him. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, smiling faintly. Just as Kate was about to release him, Gibbs tugged her closer, leaning down and placing his head beside hers.

"Do you trust me…" he whispered hoarsely by her ear. She shook her head in the affirmative before a "Yes" stumbled blindly from her mouth. He nodded in acknowledgment, placing a soft, arguably platonic kiss by her ear. He retreated from her personal space and patted her arm.

"Go take a shower. We'll get food. And coffee." he grumbled as he strode away from her, towards the double doors of the gym. He mumbled to himself, "A lot of coffee."

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	5. Chapter Five

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By the end of the night their desks were littered with empty boxes of Chinese take-out, floor plans, schedules, and profiles. Tony took his leave about an hour ago, with the promise he'd be in extra early the next morning. Gibbs knew it was just a ploy, but it had been a long day… and he was tired of Dinozzo's plethora of wisecracks and sidebars. McGee followed Tony soon after, leaving Kate and Gibbs to their own awkward devices.

The tension between the two of them was gone, relatively speaking. Kate's jaw had resumed its upright and locked position, when she found the strength to close her mouth after Gibbs had left the gym. But she still couldn't wrap her head around what was happening-- Kate always knew she had a feeling or two for her brooding boss, buried in the pit of her subconscious. But she never imagined it as something tangible; nothing but a feeling beneath the surface. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to his desk. Kate took the liberty to observe him quietly before speaking.

"Gibbs..?"

"Mmm-hmmmm." He replied without raising his head, steadily drumming his fingers on his desk. He was consumed with the reports he was intent on memorizing.

"So let me go over this…one more time." She got up from her desk and wandered over to him, gently leaning against the edge of his desk. He glanced over to where she had disturbed some of his papers, only to be accidentally eying her backside. Gibbs shifted his eyes back down to focus on the report in front of him. He nodded for her to continue.

"From the mystery information you received this afternoon, that you still won't tell me exactly how or from where you received it, there's a business drop going on tomorrow."

"Uh hunh." Gibbs replied, confirming her statement.

"Tomorrow night." Kate said flatly.

"Yep."

"In the basement of Archibalds..."

Gibbs looked up to her with a slight expression of frustration. He typically didn't mind their question and answer conversations, but this seemed to be something else. He wasn't keen on Kate's nervous small talk— but only because he didn't want her being nervous.

"Yes. We've been over all of this… you _know_ tomorrow's plan." He shook his head slightly, clasping his hands together and placing them in front of him on his desk. "What's this really about, Kate?"

She swallowed before turning towards him, shifting her weight on his desk and placing her hands in her lap. "How is it going to be different." Gibbs didn't speak and waited for her to finish her thought. She ran the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip before continuing, "I mean, how is _this_ operation going to be different from the undercover op before us… I just.. keep seeing myself, superimposed on those crime scene photos." Her voice faded out at the sentence's end. Gibbs got the impression that he wasn't entirely supposed to hear that last part. Without thinking he put his hand on her thigh, rubbing a tiny area of her leg softly. He didn't dare take his eyes away from her face.

"There's nothing I can say that's going to take away that fear for you. But I'll say this again…" he let his hand lay still on her leg, "You have to trust me." He shook his head firmly. "This won't end like the operation before, Kate. Nothing.. is going to happen."

Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes; from the anxiety, the worry, or Gibbs' unexpected display of kindness, she wasn't quite sure. But before her mind had a chance to confer with her logic, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.. close to the corner of his mouth. She lingered an inch away from his face, not sure of what she was anticipating, or even hoping for. But as she was about to retreat once more and admonish herself for unconsciously trying to elicit something from him, he moved and touched his lips to hers softly, tentatively.

Kate cautiously brought her hand up to his cheek as their lips met delicately and unhurried. Her heart screamed and then warmed as he slid a hesitant hand to her hip. He was not completely sure how this would end, but he was sure enough to continue. The kiss remained sweet, but not without its lustful undertones, and what lasted not even a minute seemed to go on for hours. Gibbs broke their steady lock and cleared his throat, replacing physical contact with tongue-tied eye contact. A wash of uncertainty showed in her eyes, but it disappeared as her hand dropped from his cheek to his shoulder. He noticed her hesitation being replaced with a soft mirth and a hint of desire that would be forever imprinted on his memory.

"You can't promise that." She said huskily, breaking their eye contact to observe her hand on his shoulder. "You can't promise that nothing will happen, Gibbs." She paused before leaning into him, placing her lips by his ear. Her voice dripped softly with what Gibbs could only identify as some faction of affection, "But I'll _always_ trust you." She pulled away as the heat continued to rise in her face, welling up in her cheeks with a blushing redness he pined for. Kate leaned in again quickly, placing a soft kiss on his own slighltyblushing cheek before sliding off of the desk.

Walking over to her own desk, she grabbed her coat and slid her pocketbook strap onto her shoulder. Kate looked over to him and nodded her goodnight. "See you in the morning, Gibbs.."

It took another minute or so for his brain to catch up and his heart to stop thrumming. He gave her a slow nod and a low, gruff, "Goodnight, Kate."

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	6. Chapter Six

_This.. is a very long chapter. I thought about trying to break it into two chapters.. but.. nah :) Sorry for the length, if that's not your thing.. otherwise, read and enjoy :) There could be a couple more chapters if everyone would like. Have a great holiday !_

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Kate stood alone in Abby's lab wearing a pair of knee-high, black suede boots and a thin, dark red overcoat that fell below her calves. She took a glance at her reflection in the glass window of Abby's small office and sighed. Suddenly she found herself craving one of her Friday nights alone, at home.. _And not half-naked at work_, she thought to herself. 

She looked around again for Abby, or any sign of other potential visitors, before opening up her coat a bit and looking down at her attire. She groaned in apprehension and disbelief, wondering what the hell she had gotten herself into. Kate looked to the clock on the wall and made a mental note that it was almost time to go. She looked back at her reflection, running her finely manicured fingers through her hair and fishing through her purse to retouch her lipstick. Exhaling deeply, she unashamedly readjusted her black lace bustier… which felt more like some elaborate excuse for wearing a bra in public. She groaned again with the thought that she was going to be more or less sporting underwear in front of Gibbs. She couldn't understand why she was more concerned about her boss, rather than the notion of infiltrating a drug ring half-naked and exposed in an entire room full of strange men. But no, she was worried about Gibbs. Kate chided herself softly. She froze when she heard a familiar throat being cleared.

Gibbs stood with his arms folded across his chest and brazenly inspected her once she turned to face him. She still obliviously had her hands covering her breasts from her previous garment readjustment. Gibbs' mouth crooked into a smirk of amusement before clearing his throat once more, gazing down to the floor.

"Ready?" He inquired, raising his eyebrows and slowly closing the gap between them.

Kate nodded and swiftly closed her overcoat, tying the sash into a knot at her waist. She ran her hands slowly over her thighs to smooth out the subtle wrinkles in her coat. "Yes… Gibbs, I… about yesterday—"

He shook and vaguely tilted his head to look at her. "We'll talk about it later. Now, I need you to focus. Okay?"

She gave him another nod, "Okay."

Just as he was turning to lead her out of the lab, she reached over and confidently took hold of his hand. Gibbs turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised with question. She ran her thumb quickly but delicately over his palm, and gave his hand a squeeze. Their eyes communicated simply and spoke for things they didn't have time for. She let go of him with a small smile and walked towards the elevator.

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The ride through D.C. was nearly silent… for once. Tonight, Tony knew when to keep his mouth shut and his comments to himself. From time to time during the drive, Gibbs made a few side glances at Kate, sitting beside him in the passenger's seat. He recognized her soft, pensive expression as her internal routine of focus. Looking back to the road, the corner of his mouth quirked.

Gibbs stopped the truck a few blocks away from Archibalds. He abruptly killed the engine and turned to face his agents in the backseat. "Dinozzo, front door. Park yourself on the bench, the bus stop across the street." He titled his head to look at McGee, "I want this truck parked by the back alley, you stake the back exit."

Tony nodded, "We know boss…"

"No mistakes." Gibbs said as he unbuckled his seatbelt to get out of the truck.

"We got it Gibbs, really, you don't—"

"_No_.. _mistakes_, Dinozzo." Gibbs raised his voice just a touch before he opened the driver's side door. "No one makes a move without communication." Gibbs brought his wrist up to his mouth and spoke forcefully into the cuff of his jacket, "You _got_ that, Fornell?"

"Yes, _sir_," came the sarcastic, slightly distant response over each of their ear pieces. Everyone but Kate received the security of having one. The fact that there was back-up not terribly far behind them would have to prove to be enough security for her. She looked over to Gibbs; _And him_, she said to herself. His dialogues of trust echoed through her head as she turned back to face front.

Gibbs got out of the truck and shut the door. Looking to her through the window, his eyes shined and he gave her a small, warm smile, but as soon as she recognized it, Gibbs and his smile were gone. She shut her eyes and began to count. In ten minutes, there'd be no turning back.

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Gibbs checked in with the bouncer at the door, who additionally served as their in-man and the undercover cop who was a participant in the previously failed operation. After a quick assessment of the club, Gibbs made his way to the bar. The atmosphere wasn't overly hectic in the semi-intimate setting, filled with a majority of businessmen and entrepreneurial out-of-towners. While a sense of unease still nibbled at his gut, Gibbs felt stronger knowing he could protect Kate better in a somewhat controlled situation. He bit back at his sudden feeling of comfort— _there is nothing safe about this situation_, he chided himself sharply.

He turned back to the bar and ordered a scotch before finding an inconspicuous, yet easily accessible table. He observed the club not to be so much a show with a program of single dancers, but as an ongoing operation where the girls worked in a group. He factored that as another piece in favor of Kate's safety, not to be in a spotlight.

Gibbs briefly took in the scenery of women that continually passed his table, making heavy bedroom eyes his way as the more vocal of the lot made verbal passes for private shows. He smirked and held up his glass to them before running his tongue behind his teeth and taking an insignificant swig of his drink. He casually checked the clock that hung behind the bar and figured Kate would have made her way here by now. Gibbs drummed his fingers against his glass and coughed lightly into the shirt cuff of his other hand.

"She left 5 minutes ago, Gibbs. She's in." McGee's voice filtered into Gibbs' ear. He exhaled, sat back and waited, pretending to be quietly enthralled by the constant spectacle of skin that played within his field of vision.

Another fifteen minutes trudged thickly by in a slow blur of glitter, sequins, and bare skin. And no sign of Kate. His stomach tightened as he thought about getting up, leaving his post. Until he saw her. Gibbs' stomach still tightened, but for a completely different reason as he watched her figure stride onto the small stage, stopping periodically to suggestively taunt the locals. He refocused his mind and peripherally scanned her surroundings. Taking another drink, he noticed her meandering through the crowd of pawing hands and saunter back on stage. He took the liberty to fully appreciate what he was witnessing here, and couldn't deny the slightly sweaty palms or the dry mouth he suddenly developed. He wet his lips before crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, watching Kate— all of Kate. He reminded himself to thank Abby for those DVDs.

Kate then publicly took notice of him, but Gibbs knew that she knew where he was from the second she walked in the room. She slid provocatively off stage, making her rounds as she neared his table. Finally she stood in front of him.

"Hey mister… how's about a dance.." her voice was husky and melted the synapses in his brain. If they weren't under precarious circumstances, he would have continued what they started in the office the night before. He grumbled at his subconscious. But they indeed had a job to do.

Kate grabbed hold of his tie, fingering the red silk and looked up to him with big brooding chestnut eyes. She mouthed to him silently, "Hi." She ran her hand up the length of his crimson tie before leading him towards the back of the club. He kept watch of everything as she sauntered in front of him; he knew where everyone was at all times, but he couldn't ignore his constant study of Caitlin Todd—it was humanly impossible. Her bare shoulders, the gentle curve of her hips, the way Abby's leather skirt sat on those hips... He swallowed as she stopped walking, turning to him and gently pressed on his chest with a single hand, making him sit down in a chair. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, soft and abrupt, "I'm going to need _so_ much therapy." He couldn't help but smirk.

"I've got news for you, pal…" Kate purred and pulled away as she stood in front of him, between his knees. She undid a single lace in the front of her corset before squatting down in front of him, her hands sliding suggestively from his upper thighs to his knees. He could tell she was loving this— her eyes shimmered underneath the dim lighting as his heart began to pound in his chest. She turned her back to him and sat on his lap slowly.

He grumbled roughly in her ear, "Yer killin' me." She turned her head and grinned at him, running a hand over his shoulder.

"Your intel was wrong." She went to kiss him and then pulled away, tearing herself away from him and walked around his chair. He looked at her with a small expression of confusion. She came back around and straddled his knees while still standing, running her hands over her hips as she hiked up her skirt just a touch, and just enough to send his mind reeling. Kate ran her hand over his stomach and leaned into him, pressing her chest to his, "None of these girls are in on anything," she whispered by his ear. He closed his eyes for composure.

"Are you sure." He said softly.

Kate noticed a passerby within earshot and resumed a husky drawl, "Lemme put it to you this way, honey.. these girls.. the light's on, but nobody's home, darlin'." She slid her hand softly down the side of his face. Her eyes fell on a group of men behind Gibbs, who seemed to be watching them with a bit too much interest.

"Put your hand on me." She whispered roughly into his neck. When Gibbs didn't immediately respond or cooperate, she rasped in his ear, "Unless you want to risk blowing this, yer gonna want to put your hand on my ass right now, Jethro." He looked to her dark eyes with sudden and subtle amazement before bringing a hand up, grabbing her rear with a hint of force. She slapped at his hand and pushed away from him, waving her finger at him reproachfully. Kate undid another lace.

"You got some cash there, darlin'..?" Gibbs looked at her to find she was dead serious. He fished in his pocket and fingered through his bills. She laughed, "Only you would come to a strip joint with a roll of twenties." Kate smiled warmly at him before hesitantly offering her cleavage to him. Gibbs suddenly wanted to crawl under a rock.

"You better give me some of those bills if you want to walk safely out of here…"

"I better get them back.." He replied gruffly as he carefully placed several twenty dollar bills down her corset. He received a subconscious pang of not wanting this particular part to end.

Kate winked at him, "We'll see." She leaned down to him, softly kissing one cheek and patting the other with a soft hand.

Tony's voice came over Gibbs' earpiece, "Boss, we have movement out here."

"Back here, too, Boss." Echoed McGee.

Kate's back straightened as she turned to leave Gibbs, noticing nearly half the suits had cleared the club. Still just in earshot of Gibbs, she remarked softly, "Something's wrong." Before he could say a single word to stop her, she had hopped back on stage with a handful of the other girls. McGee continued to rattle off the comings and goings of the rear exit, repeating his suggestion of calling for their back-up. Gibbs still had his drink in his hand, his glass sweating with condensation. Getting up, he began making his way to his table, following the line of the stage.

Kate saw it first.

"_Down_!"

Gibbs turned to the sound of her voice before she tackled him roughly from the stage. They flew to the floor in a heap of limbs, rolling slightly underneath a table as rounds were fired in their general direction. Kate lay on top of him, clutching his crisp white shirt in her hands. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her down against him. Gibbs hissed into his sleeve for Fornell to move his team. More shots were fired when he noticed Kate still had not moved from his chest. Running a hand down her back and up her arm, he felt it. He saw the blood stain across his palm.

"Kate..?" His mind began to flood with panic as he tilted her head to get a look at her face. She was still breathing hard against him, her eyes, first closed, fluttered open to look at him. She swallowed heavily before trying to move, "I'm fine.. just a scratch, Gibbs.."

Gibbs looked past her to see their next obstacle in the nick of time. The bouncer towered above them, holding a black automatic directly level at Kate's back. Gibbs tightened his grasp on her, gripping her against his body as he rolled with her out of the line of fire. The bouncer pulled his trigger and missed. Kate slipped out from beneath Gibbs and reached down, pulling a small pistol from the inside leather of her boot. She made a shot at the undercover cop. Kate missed, but Gibbs didn't. The cop fell to his knees before his body hit the floor.

Tony's voice crackled over the earpiece, "Get out of there, Gibbs. Front entrance clear." Gibbs jumped to his feet and took hold of Kate's arm, bringing her to a standing position. Never letting go of her, they ran through the disheveled array of broken glass, tables and overturned chairs. Reaching the entrance and rushing into the night air, they were greeted with police sirens, Fed town-cars, and flashing lights. Tony ran over to them once he caught sight of the pair.

"It's over," he said, "the taps the DC police placed in the basement was all we needed to make the jump. There was a tip-off.. we don't know where, Boss. What the hell happened in there?"

Gibbs loosened his tie and took it off. "The bouncer."

"The cop?" Tony asked in amazement.

"The dirty cop." Gibbs stated bluntly as he took Kate's arm and gently wrapped and secured his tie around her bicep where the bullet nicked her still glistening skin. Seeing this, Tony radioed for paramedics before rushing off to track down McGee.

Kate looked up at Gibbs with unsure eyes. "Hi." She said.

"Hi, yourself." He squeezed her elbow gently and brought his hand up to cup her cheek. He couldn't bring himself to thank her for saving his life, or to tell her she did a good job. He felt she should already know. Good agents shouldn't need praise, he always explained. Good agents already know when they've done good. Yet, he felt the need to say something, not even necessarily with words. Gibbs took a step towards her, bringing both of his hands against her reddened cheeks, and placed his lips softly against her forehead. Pulling away from her, he gave her a tinynod of approval. He could've sworn he saw wetness at the edges of her eyes, but was interrupted by the introduction of a paramedic. The EMT nodded to Gibbs, taking Kate to a gurney and helping her to sit on top of it. Her legs dangled off the edge of the stretcher. She kept her eyes on Gibbs as the man checked her vitals and removed Gibbs' tie from her arm. Kate barely heard the EMT speaking to her, explaining that the graze was deep, but not too deep, but just to be on the safe side she'd need a few stitches. She had no idea what she was agreeing to when she told him it was fine. "I'm okay," she heard herself say. She watched Gibbs speak with McGee and Tony, looking her way from time to time. He patted each of their shoulders while the paramedic stitched her arm. He told them to go home, informing them Kate would be fine. And so they left, again leaving the two remaining agents to their own devices.

The EMT helped Kate off the gurney, steadying her on her feet. Gibbs walked over, hands in his pockets, looking Kate over as the medic left to meet his own unit. Gibbs smirked, "Nice outfit."

Kate placed her hands on her hips, pursed her lips and squinted her eyes in careful thought. Opening her mouth again, "You're not getting your money back you know."

"What if I give you a ride." Gibbs tilted his head to the side as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'd have to think about it." She quipped without skipping a beat.

Gibbs' eyebrows rose in amused consideration and he smiled slightly. He put his hand to her lower back, rubbing tiny concentric circles against the small of her back, leading her to one of the Federal cars across the street.

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	7. Chapter Seven

_Here's a short one... I was going to make this a double, but you're gonna have to sweat it out ;) Want to take my time on the next chapter.. g Thanks for reading, and please enjoy._

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A slow, black town-car with dark tinted windows drove ominously through the parking lot, pulling up to the entrance of NCIS. Its occupants gracefully exited from the car's backseat and, walking not a foot apart in their own careful rhythm, made their way towards the front doors.

In their unfortunate haste, Kate left her new coat in the innards of downtown D.C. Losing one jacket, she gained another, as Gibbs' suit jacket draped loosely around her bare shoulders. He walked close to her along her right-side, instinctively guarding her slightly wounded arm. He had half a mind to put a protective arm around her shoulders or to guide her steps with a firm hand at the small of her back; but he couldn't mentally avoid the _other_ half of his preoccupied mind. The "look and not touch" portion of this arrangement that he has mastered in great detail— it wasn't even a second nature… it was a first.

As they reached the office, they found the desolate bullpen with nothing but the fragile light from each of their own lone computers. Kate had already changed into a pair of sweats and an NCIS white tank that she had stashed in her bottom drawer, while Gibbs went to fetch a ceremonious late night coffee from the vending machine down the hall. It was no Starbucks, but it would do.

Kate sat at her desk and waited for him to return from his coffee run, swiveling back and forth absentmindedly in her chair. She closed her eyes with the comforting, steady movement, and flashes of excited motion kept replaying on a tape-loop behind her eyelids— they had saved one another. Kate didn't necessarily consider herself a fatalist, but she couldn't help but wonder, and get a little pang of something indescribable in her stomach while wondering, how it all would have happened had one of them been missing from tonight's equation. Although she doubted anything of disastrous consequence would've happened… Kate shook her head, sending the "what ifs" scattering helplessly.

She felt a large hand settle on top of her shoulder, startling her as she nearly fell off the chair and promptly out of her rhythmic daydream. Gibbs bent down slightly, one hand gently gripping her uninjured arm and the other hand holding firm against her waist. Kate's breath cascaded softly over his neck as she subconsciously swallowed the instinctive anxiety that came with their close proximity. Their eyes scanned one another carefully, and Gibbs slowly brought them both to a standing position.

"Thanks." Kate spoke breathily, not wanting to remove herself from his grasp as she took a slow step back. Gibbs gave her a nod and leaned against the wall of her cubicle.

"Abby drove you here." He confirmed as Kate nodded. His eyebrows perked for a quick second before he continued, "She's not here now."

Kate wet her lips and faintly bobbed her head, "Yeah.. I know." He grinned, ever so slightly, crossing his arms in front of him.

"How _exactly_ were you expecting to get home?"

She squinted her eyes at him in mock frustration, silently daring him to not offer her a ride. Just before she was about to berate him, her lips quirked, one eyebrow rose in amusement. "I was thinking about calling a **cab**. Since I have all this… _money_." She took out the tiny wad of cash she obtained from Gibbs an hour earlier, leisurely thumbing through it. But before she had a chance to protest, he snatched the bills from her hand and took out his wallet.

"Thaaank you." He sang softly, putting the money back in its place and sliding his wallet back into his back pocket. She sighed and muttered, "So much for leverage." Gibbs smiled and grabbed her bag, then handed her his jacket. "C'mon," he said quietly, "I'll take you home." Reaching his hand to her face, he cupped her cheek and slid his thumb softly under her eye as he wiped away smudged mascara. He looked at his fingers thoughtfully and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, erasing the make-up that stained them. He managed to fight the urge to crash against her and slow-kiss her to madness.

Kate followed him into the elevator and gingerly pressed the button for ground level. As the ride down commenced, she tilted her head slightly and craned her neck in order to inspect the bandage that covered her bicep. She ran gentle fingers over the gauze in order to gauge the situation before lifting the dressing carefully to look at her fresh battle scar. Gibbs continued to look forward, but batted her hand away from the bandage.

"Don't touch."

Kate sighed and fixed the medical tape, re-securing it to her skin. "Fine," she mumbled. A corner of his mouth rose as they strode off the elevator into the garage.

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	8. Chapter Eight

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They sat in the dark of Gibbs' car for a good five minutes before realizing the semi-awkward silence that had settled between them. Kate glanced over at him, a small smile of gratitude gracing her lips. As she carefully got out of the car, Gibbs had already gotten out, retrieved her purse from the backseat, and was a step in front of her on the front walk. When he realized she wasn't following him, he stopped and turned to face her. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a questioning expression.

"..Are you coming?"

Kate paused as she looked to him, and then shut the heavy car door behind her. Strolling over slowly, she stood in front of him for a fleeting second before gently taking her purse from his hands. They walked down the stone path and up the steps, their hands brushing together briefly several times before they wound up at Kate's door. He watched her slowly turn the key in the lock, opening the door slightly and then turning to face him.

"Thank you…" her voice was soft and yet just a little bit hoarse. She nervously wrapped her hand around the doorknob behind her, twisting it anxiously as she looked from his chest to his face.

His brow furrowed vaguely under the dim porch light. "For.. giving you a ride.. or letting you steal my jacket..?" His voice was low and thick with fatigue. She smiled with a faint satisfaction that made his heart swell. Kate held his bright eyes with hers.

"For watching my six, Gibbs." She said quietly, and brushed her fingers lightly against his hand. She smirked slightly as she looked down and began taking off his jacket. "And, you're welcome."

"For what.." he squinted, cocking his head to look at her expectantly.

She handed him the suit jacket and smiled, "For letting you touch my _ass_." Gibbs' eyes widened a bit before he chuckled deeply and rubbed the back of his neck. He soon fell silent, but couldn't wipe the amusement from his face. They stood together, absorbing their respective silence which was no longer awkward.

Kate reached out and ran brazen fingertips from his chest to his stomach. She felt his muscles flinch and tighten underneath her hand, which held its ground on his abdomen. Kate shut her eyes to rein in her mind's emotional chaos. As she was about to open her eyes again to tell him 'Goodnight,' she felt two warm hands cup her face and an equally warm mouth crash against hers. Her eyes fluttered open in shock, but closed just as quickly as she groaned in a mixture of surprise and desire.

Gibbs eased her backwards through the front door, expertly closing it with his foot. She groaned again as she ran her hand from his stomach to his hip, bringing them closer. Gibbs lessened his intensity to a sweet lull of constant saccharine kisses, continuing to blindly walk her further back into the room. Kate ran the tip of her tongue smoothly along his warm bottom lip to gain an entrance as he ran a hand from her cheek into her hair.

In their slightly heated frenzy, her back gently hit the wall and her room began to spin. Both of their mouths secretly dueled in a constant pursuit. _Air_. She gently tore her lips away from his in a soft gasp for air. The room slowed to a standstill, with the couple still emotionally and precariously entwined. Gibbs slid his hands to her waist and gripped her firmly.

"Yer too short." He growled, soft and gruff. He swiftly lifted her off the ground, pressing her back up against the wall before willing her legs to wrap perfectly around his waist. Kate brushed her cheek against his, slowly pulling back to gaze at him thoughtfully, covering the sides of his face with her hands. She searched his face, and scoured his eyes. Glancing to his mouth and then back to his eyes, she brought his face to hers. Kate began a round of fresh kisses, lingering and sporadically detached as their lips didn't stay flush against one another for more than a few seconds at a time.

Gibbs slid his hand up her sides, agonizingly slow. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as he slid his palms over the sides of her breasts. Kate slowly put her arms over her head, his hands snaking up to take hold of her own hands, holding them above her head and against the wall. Her eyes darted to different points on his face before settling on the craving eyes staring back at her. Silence and stilled hands settled on them once again.

She didn't have the right of mind to find her voice. She mouthed to him slowly, "Gibbs…?"

He brought a hand back down the path it had traveled moments ago, holding her waist tightly. Kate's eyes fluttered shut as he made the same motion with his other hand, hovering over the delicate swell of her breast before seizing her hips with both hands. He nuzzled her neck softly, inhaling deeply, and placed her feet gently on the ground.

"Gibbs?" Kate's voice was syrup, but it still cracked under the uncertainty. She reached out her hand to his cheek, brushing the slight tinge of lipstick she had left behind. He pressed a soft kiss to her palm before taking her hand in his, running his thumb over the smooth line of her knuckles.

"You should get some sleep." He replied in a gravelly tone. "Let me change that bandage though before you do." Kate nodded and gently squeezed his hand. She carefully closed the small distance that Gibbs had placed between them and leaned up to him, cheek to cheek.

"I've something I've always wanted to say to you," she whispered huskily. He waited for her to continue, but instead she pulled away from him slightly, only to lean up and press a sweetly heated kiss to his startled lips. It wasn't like the kiss in the office, and it wasn't quite like the kisses from before. This was Kate's silent declaration of love. And he got the message, loud and clear. Gibbs returned the sentiment with unequivocal gusto.

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	9. Chapter Nine

_Well, I just wanted to thank everyone who has been following this story and a deep thank you for all of the outrageous reviews. I never knew how far a review could go, and it means a lot :) Hope everyone enjoyed the little ride.. hope to do it again real soon ;) And now.. on with the show._

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Gibbs sighed as he fruitlessly went through several drawers of Kate's bathroom cabinet before he finally discovered the first-aid kit harbored in the linen closet. He slid the small, white case onto the countertop beside the sink. Opening it, he guessed that it had never been used, other than for an occasional band-aid. After locating several squares of gauze and a small roll of medical tape, he shut the miniature metal suitcase and fastened the tiny clasps. He let out a slow breath, his mind anxiously trying to catch up to and comprehend the situation they were now hip-deep in. On his way to the bedroom, Gibbs stopped in the middle of the hallway. He stood in one place, idly staring at the medical supplies he held in his hands—realizing he had unthinkingly considered it as "they"… not "_me_," not "_I_," not even as "_Gibbs_."

He remembered panicking at the sight of Kate's blood on his hand, the heart stopping dread that instantly coursed through his veins when she laid there still and unmoving on his chest. He was frozen in those few seconds, in his mind and in real-time; clenching his fists and wondering what exactly he would have done had Kate been anything but alive when he had lifted her chin…

The medical tape slipped from his fingers and crashed silently to the floor, rolling a foot away from him and down the hall. Not wanting to imagine the psychological or emotional implications of his mental admission, he scooped up the tape and continued to Kate's bedroom door. _This isn't the time_, he told himself.

Gibbs took careful but determined steps on the hardwood floor. Stopping in his tracks when he fully noticed the scene in front of him, he couldn't help but smile. Just a little. He took the time to take it in, gradually making his way over to the bed where Kate lay perfectly curled on top of the covers, asleep. Despite his efforts to make a smooth and seamless transition from standing to sitting, Kate still stirred with the slight dip of the bed.

She drowsily looked around the dimly lit room until her eyes focused on him. He could almost see the rapid calculations going through her head before offering him a soft smile. She sat up on the bed, running a hand over her forehead, and then tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Kate crawled over on her knees to the edge of the bed.

"How long have I been out?" She asked groggily as she offered up her arm. Gibbs slid over a bit closer as he began removing the bandage swiftly and carefully. A slight grimace passed across his face as he examined her stitches; not because of the actual sight of the wound, but at the notion that it was _her_ wound.

"Five minutes." He kept his tone short, but the way in which he handled her arm spoke more to her than his voice. "Give or take." he continued gruffly. He kept his head down, but looked up to her, holding her bicep in his hand, "Does this hurt?"

Kate shook her head thoughtfully and murmured, "No.. Gibbs. It doesn't hurt."

They lapsed into an easy silence as he finished the replacement without incident. With the last piece of medical tape applied, Gibbs ran a careful hand over the new bandage. Kate recognized the shades of guilt that seemed to add a specific dullness to his eyes; along with an unspoken battle that was being fought behind them. However irrational his guilt was to her, she knew, in the end, that it didn't matter— Gibbs' guilt was his own. But Kate never did give up that easy.

"Gibbs.."

"I panicked." He spoke abruptly, rubbing featherlike circles on her forearm with his thumb, "I panicked when I thought you—" he looked up to her, his brow creased with intense deliberation and a heated emotion that Kate could actually feel. "…were hurt, worse than you were."

Kate's bottom lip twitched in a sort of nervousness as she laid a hand on his upper arm, squeezing a blind reassurance into his skin. "It's alright.. Gibbs, it's okay to panic sometimes…"

His eyes quietly flashed at her as he quickly stood up and began pacing the floorboards in front of her. Kate watched him, entranced and tensed with his sudden and constant movement. She envisioned a caged animal, stealthily stalking back and forth…

"It's alri—? I…" he stopped as he huffed in wide-eyed disbelief, turning to look at her and speaking forcefully, slightly raising his voice. "It's not _alright_ to _panic_. You know what happens when agents panic—" Kate rose and stood in front of him, gingerly crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning slightly towards him as she spoke firmly.

"Nobody died.. No one _died_ because you panicked, Gibbs." She let out a breath, seeing that he wasn't going to immediately challenge her. Her demeanor softened as she saw his stance slacken, his eyes fall to the floor—she witnessed the fight leaving him. She swallowed and tilted her head to one side, looking at him intently. "_I_ didn't die, Gibbs." She laughed so lightly, he almost didn't hear it, "You.. _saved_ my life." She kept her hands to herself this time, wary that any physical reassurance she could offer him would be instantly shot down, and she'd have to watch him walk away. She lightly hugged her arms around her ribs as she gently nibbled the inside of her cheek.

"You saved me first." He stated, low and gruff.

"Were we having a contest…?" she asked, an amused smile softly played across her face as her eyes squinted in silent laughter. She saw his grin, gently showing around his eyes before it faintly reached his lips. Kate stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving his middle a squeeze. She felt the quiet, low chuckle resonate deep in chest when he returned the sentiment, enveloping her small form in his arms.

She sighed calmly into his chest as he leaned his head down slightly, brushing his lips by her ear and whispering quietly into her hair, "I'm sorry you got hurt, Katie."

Her throat clenched with the sudden emotion that that single action provoked, attached with a pet name he used only on rare occasion. No one else dared to call her 'Katie' like he did. She never chastised him for it… maybe once, but he never listened. She didn't mind it.. she liked the way he said it. And she supposed that that was something.

Kate moved her head until her cheek was flush against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. She gazed intently out her bedroom window, noticing the rain that mercilessly fell and battered against the glass pane.

"I'm not going to tell you not to be sorry." She leaned back, away from his chest in order to see his face and get a better appreciation for his reactions. She whispered, "Not because of some theoretical weakness in your character, Jethro… but because you don't have anything to be sorry for..." She smiled gently as his expression finally softened.

He placed a delicate kiss to her forehead, moving his hand to the back of her neck and cradling the back of her head. Still dangerously close, he whispered against her skin, "Say it again." He leisurely pressed his lips against her right temple as he placed his other hand lightly on her hip, inching his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt. He soothingly stroked the skin he found there.

Her eyes were closed as she felt the heat rise quickly into her face, Kate breathed deeply, "Say what.." Her hands rested delicately on his chest.

"That _name_.." He murmured softly by her ear, his breath tickled and meandered down the side of her neck. She never imagined 'going weak in the knees' had any real truth to it—and she was wrong. Gibbs felt her legs waver slightly as he wrapped his arm underneath her shirt and around her waist tightly.

She grinned and purred against his cheek, "Jethro..." The corner of his lips rose with a certain satisfaction and affection as he placed a faint, openmouthed kiss to the corner of her mouth. She moved a little so as to press her lips firmly and evenly against his.

Intuitively, her eyes fluttered open to see him observing her attentively between the none-existent space between them. She blinked slowly through the series of sipping kisses and grazing hands. Completely enfolded in the exposing and unnerving intimacy surrounding them, their eyes remained fixed on one another as the blush slowly overtook Kate's cheeks.

Gibbs slowly drew away after pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek, running a slow hand from the back of her neck, down the middle of her chest to her stomach. Placing her hand over his, Kate firmly held him to her, blinking rapidly to keep the years of anxious tears, the years of wanting him like this, from overwhelmingly her. Staring at his shoulder before bringing her eyes up to his, she wiped at her cheek with her free hand and laughed nervously. He just smirked at her. They were both exposed.

"Are you going to stay.." A vague mix of curiosity and uncertainty coated her voice; she tugged his hand to her stomach slightly.

Gibbs turned her hand over in his, lacing his fingers loosely with hers as he pulled her body closer. Raising an eyebrow and squeezing her hand reassuringly, he spoke quietly, low and straight-faced, "I'd like to see you try and stop me."


End file.
